2022 Porsche 718 Cayman

For 2022, the 718 Cayman starts off with the base model at an MSRP of $60,500 in the USA, a $600 price increase over last year's model. Following this is the Cayman T at $69,600, and then the more powerful Cayman S at $72,500. For access to a naturally aspirated flat-six, the GTS 4.0 will cost you a hefty $87,400. All of these prices exclude any extras and Porsche's delivery charge of $1,350. The Porsche Cayman will cost an additional $3,210 if you spec the PDK gearbox on the base trim and the S, while this upgrade costs $3,730 on the T and GTS. The options list should be approached with caution - in no time at all, we were able to configure a Porsche Cayman at a price of over $140,000. This applies to the GTS 4.0 with several options ticked.

Other sports cars offer more power, luxury, or performance at the price, but the mid-engined Cayman continues to set the pace dynamically. Descriptions of the Cayman's handling makes many Porsche Cayman reviews sound like broken records, but there's no getting away from the supreme agility, wonderful balance, and the trickery that Porsche continues to employ when tuning its electric steering systems. All the major controls - brakes, steering, and gearboxes - work together beautifully to make this possibly the most complete sports car in the world to drive quickly. Whether in town or taking on fast sweeps, the Cayman's steering is extremely precise and offers just enough feedback to encourage the driver to press on. It's engaging on a level that leaves the Audi TT, BMW Z4, and others trailing. Pleasingly, it doesn't come at the expense of ride quality, either. Sure, the Cayman is quite firm, but excellent damping prevents it from being tiring. In the GTS, the more appropriate roar from the flat-six engine, coupled with that super chassis, is as close to driving perfection as you could wish for.

Although it's now been around for a good few years, the driving experience offered by the Porsche 718 Cayman remains ahead of the game. That single trump card mostly atones for the range's handful of flaws like the merely average cabin design, a lack of modern safety features at the price, and the dull acoustics of the four-cylinder engines. Handling remains sublime and a cut above fellow German sports coupes like the Audi TT, and the GTS 4.0 is a truly marvelous specimen with that naturally aspirated mill at full cry. At just over $60,000 for the base model, you could also drive off in a V8-powered Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8, which offers loads more power and will turn more heads. But if nothing but a Porsche will do and the 911 is too far out of reach, the baby Cayman has plenty to offer.

With its flat-six naturally aspirated engine, the GTS 4.0 is the Porsche Cayman model that everyone wants. That motor simply elevates the driving experience to another level. That being said, it carries a hefty price premium over other models in the range. For a more attainable 718, the base Cayman with a few options thrown in is fast enough and comes with most of the equipment found elsewhere in the range. Some of the extras we'd go for include the 20-inch Carrera S wheels ($2,730), the leather interior ($2,520), and the Premium Package ($4,050). Anything more than this, and you may as well get the more powerful Cayman S.

Higher up in the Porsche hierarchy is the legendary 911. Like the Cayman, it's one of the best sports coupes to drive, yet is easy to live with and perfectly happy with the daily commute. Starting at $101,200, the 911 is a much pricier prospect, but it does have a more modern cabin and more available equipment than the Cayman, plus two small extra seats for emergencies. At that price, only the Cayman GTS 4.0 comes close, and despite this Cayman being both lighter and more powerful, it's not faster than the base 911 unless you get the PDK, in which case both cars have a best 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. The GTS' naturally aspirated engine and superb agility are hard to match, but the 911 is nearly as enjoyable to drive, more refined, and has a better infotainment interface. If we could, we'd stretch to the 911, which ticks more boxes.

Last year, the Jaguar F-Type started off at nearly the same price with its base 2.0-liter car, but that model has since been dropped and now the cheapest F-Type is a 444-hp supercharged V8 at $69,900 - $2,600 cheaper than the manual Cayman S with which it shares an identical 4.4-second 0-60-mph sprint. The F-Type gets off to a lead here by being the more emotive car to look at and sit inside. Its latest redesign is a success - this is one truly gorgeous coupe. The Jag only gets a smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox; a comparison of the gearboxes sees the Porsche come out on top with a standard manual and a brilliant optional dual-clutch. As accomplished as the F-Type is dynamically, the lighter Cayman (the Cayman S is a whopping 674 pounds lighter than the entry-level F-Type) is even better at entertaining its driver. Inside, both cars are well built, but the Jag has a more opulent cabin, plus it comes better equipped with features like Android Auto and traffic sign recognition. For the fashion-conscious, the F-Type will likely come out on top. But as a driver's car, the Cayman takes it - even though that lovely supercharged V8 in the Jaguar is tempting indeed.